Monday News Mash-Up

For weeks we were able to avoid any sort of Radiohead new, but every time we think we’re out they they pull us right back in. The first bit of news comes from MySpace Music, which will unleashed three new Radiohead music videos. The videos, created by winners of a contest asking fans and animators to create videos from In Rainbows tracks, began premiering November 21st with the unveiling of “Weird Fishes.” November 25th will yield “15 Step” and November 28th brings “Videotape.”

But that’s just the tip of the Radiohead iceberg. It was announced this week that Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway will be rejoining Neil Finn for a second edition of the live album, 7 Worlds Collide. The original set of concerts that yielded the album features O’Brien and Selway as part of Finn’s backing band and featured the talents of Johnny Marr, Lisa Germano, and Eddie Vedder. This time — on top of the return of the Radiohead members and Marr — will see Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy, John Straitt, Glenn Kotche, and Pat Sansone joining the fray. Other contributors to the 2009 batch of concerts will be announced soon.

John McCain, having tasted defeat at the hand of Barack Obama, is now embroiled in a legal fight with Jackson Browne over the use of the classic anthem “Running on Empty” in a presidential campaign commercial for the Arizona Senator. According to Billboard, McCain and his staff are stating the use of the song fell within the rules of fair use.

It’s odd to think that December 8th will bring us the first box set from The Kinks! Universal Music will be bringing is the 6-disc set, titled Picture Book, just in time for the holidays. Featuring 130 tracks in chronological order, there is a lot of hits, rarities, demos, and live tracks to sink your teeth into. This on the heels of Ray Davies’ conversation with BBC stating that a Kinks reunion could be looming.

The San Francisco-based Noise Pop Festival has begun announcing acts for its February 24th-March 1st run. No Age, Antony & the Johnsons, A.C. Newman, Clues, and Goblin Cock represent the first batch of confirmed artists to grace the Bay. In addition, the festival has also revealed the first few entries into its film festival: Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Agile Mobile Hostile: A Year with Andre Williams. More information about both the music and film festival will be politely given to us as the time ticks close to Noise Pop.